2k Journal: Chasing Coral Film (2017)

After watching the Netflix documentary ‘Chasing Coral’ this week, we felt we had to do a quick post to urge you all to do the same.

Anyone who’s spent any time in the Maldives will have seen a lot of coral…walked on it, slept on it, and basically lived on it, as it’s what the whole country is built upon. But how much do most of us really know about it?

For example, did you know…

– Coral takes up 1% of the oceans, but supports around 25% of marine life

– Between 500 million and 1 billion people rely on coral reefs for food

– Coral reefs are the largest structures created by life on planet earth

– You can look at growth rings in coral, just like in trees, to learn about historical changes in the earth’s atmosphere

– Coral bleaches under stress conditions, reacting to rising temperatures by expelling the algae which brings 90% of its energy (and all of its colour)

If you’ve watched, then you do know all this; if you haven’t then you don’t (you can’t take our word for it!). They even explain the whole coral/polyp/algae thing – which we’ve never been able to do before.

This documentary will definitely change the way you think about these unique animals which make up the reef. Some of the footage is incredible, showing the tragedy of rising sea temperatures through time-lapse footage of coral bleaching. (And watch out for a brief appearance from the Reefscapers team – formerly Seamarc – at Four Seasons Landu Giraavaru).

This week’s troubling report from the IPCC has warned that even with a temperature rise of 1.5C over pre-industrial levels we are likely to see coral reefs decline by between 70% and 90% due to annual bleaching events; and by 99% if we reach 2C or more.

So, take a look at this trailer and get onto Netflix, or make a friend who has a Netflix password. You can also visit the film’s website to learn more, and to get some nice infographics – like the one below – to help raise awareness.